As a facilitative mediator, I’ve never been a fan of mediator proposals. This article by a judge-turned-mediator, The Danger of Mediator Proposals, does a great job explaining why. In addition, I would note that, while mediator proposals can help parties settle on a dollar figure, parties who focus on money alone will miss the non-monetary […]

Can a mediation training course fully online equip a participant to mediate effectively? That’s the question I set out to assess this spring, at the behest of Michigan’s State Court Administrative Office, which oversees mediation training for both courts and community mediation programs in Michigan.  The basic training for general civil mediation is a 40-hour […]

The Court of Appeals has invalidated a portion of a mediated settlement agreement as to a party who was not present at the mediation due to lack of notice. In this probate case, In re Meddie Allen Brown (unpublished per curiam opinion of the Court of Appeals, issued April 9, 2020, Docket No. 342485), the […]